Respiratory System:

Major Functions of Respiratory System:
  • 1) Gas Exchange-get oxygen in and get rid of Carbon Dioxide.
  • 2) Regulation of blood pH-controlds acid and base.
  • 3) Voice Production-allows you to talk and make sounds.
  • 4) Olfaction-allows you to smell.
  • 5) Innate Immunity-protects your body.




http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/_bfs_RSmoviesource.html


external image respir_side.gif


The Trachea, or the windpipe, is a part of the respiratory system that transfers air to the lungs as you breathe. It is made up mostly of cartilage and muscle, but the most important part is the mucousy tissue (called the epithelium) that lines the walls of the trachea. Cells in this tissue are called the goblet cells and cilia. The goblet cells are cylindrical and contain little granules that are filled with mucus. This is what helps it secrete the mucousy substance that makes up the tissue in the trachea, which can bind to small particles that could be inhaled. The cilia cells cover the entire wall of the mucousy tissue, and they are hair-like in structure. They are constantly swaying in motion, which creates a mechanism (similar to that of an elevator) that could help move up the small mucus-soaked particles. The particles are then moved to the mouth, where it could be swallowed or could be spitted out. Thus the windpipe is kept clear of particles.
Pseudostratified%20columnar%20epithelium%2006.jpg
The Epithelium


Asthma is a diesease people have in their lungs that shrinks the size of the airways (bronchi) and the body produces to much mucus. This diesease can make you cough, wheese, have shortness of breathe and tightness in your chest. People start having asthma starting when they are little. People who have ashtma during their childhood can eventually grow out of it. Sometimes you can get rid of asthma by taking medicine, but if the medicine doesn't work your symptoms may get worse. Certain things can give you a higher chance of having asthma, like being overweight, smoking/secondhand smoking, exposure to pollution, low birth weight, and many other factors contribute to this diesease.
When having asthma some things can trigger asthma, perfume/cologne, gas fumes, dust, and cigarette smoke can trigger an attack. For people who have allergies this can trigger an asthma attack, but not everyone with asthma has allergies. Exercise, allergens, smoke, sensitivity to medications, infects, and many more can trigger an asthma attack.
To treat asthma you can use an inhaler or a nebulizer. A nebulizer is a machine that turns a liquid into a mist that goes into your lungs. Inhaling ashtma medicine is the most effective way to get it into the lungs. Nebulizers are machines that have a tube, connected to a mask that i sput on your face, the mask helps you inhale the medicine, and they are often used for babies or small children. An inhaler is a easier way to take medicine and get it into the lungs, but not all medicine ca be taken through an inhaler. Inhalers have a plastic holder for the medicine with a mouth piece on the end of it, they are mostly used for people with breathing problems like asthma. The most common used inhaler is the metered dose inhaler.

The "breathing" System

The diaphragm helps expand the chest cavity to aid the flow of oxygen into the lungs. A diaphram is the sheet of muscle located beneath the lungs that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity.
  • When relaxed, your diaphragm is positioned in a dome shape beneath your lungs, decreasing the volume of the chest cavity forcing air out of the lungs.
  • When contracting, the diaphragm flattens, enlarging the chest cavity and drawing air into the lungs.
Alveoli are the sacs of the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged by diffusion between the air and blood.
  • Blood in the capillaries come from the cells of the body and contain wastes from Cellular Respiration. Diffusion of gases take place easily because the wall of each alveolus are only one cell thick.
  • The carbon dioxide is a waste product in Cellular Respiration, gets diffused into blood which carries it back to the lungs.

Interesting Facts:
  • 70 year olds may produce fewer enzymes then they did when they were 20.
  • cartilage rots faster then your bones do, thats why a skull doesnt have ears or a nose.
  • the brain looks like a giant wrinkled walnut.
  • there are about 60 muscles in your face.